Hearing about someone else’s upbringing and the things they did to get where they are now is always interesting. I recently connected with someone in the sports communication field and she is absolutely remarkable.

Going by the name of Chanelle Smith-Walker, team photographer for The Carolina Panthers. One of five black photographers in the NFL and one of two women making her the second black female photographer in NFL history.

I just recently found out about Chanelle, and this was a huge reason I wanted to reach out to her. Based on her social media presence and the media she shared she was very open about issues she cared about.

My Decision

When I was first presented with this assignment I researched NFL photographers but I couldn’t figure out why I was hesitant when deciding to pick. What stood out the most was every team photographer was male. So I researched if there were any females and there were two which were Chanelle Smith-Walker and Callena Williams. These were the only two people I reached out to not expecting anything out of it. Two days go by and I’m trying to figure out other people I could reach out too because my first options weren’t responding. Later that day Chanelle responds back agreeing to talk me and she appreciated me reaching out to her.

We set up a meeting for a day on zoom and we talked for about 45 minutes. I learned so much and she taught me a lot in just that short amount of time.

We had a good connection from the start and I asked a lot of questions I know she’s never been asked which she really liked. Towards the end of the meeting, she told that she always has shadow positions open. She ended up offering for me to be a shadow for the Carolina Panthers media day in June of this year. As well as giving me her number and telling me to reach out to her anytime I ever need anything.

I am so glad that this assignment was assigned and it has taught me to be more open when reaching out to professionals. My networking skills have become much better from just this one interview. Now further in the future, I will be able to grow and I am excited to see what I accomplish next. This is the first step in my career and I’m ready for what’s to come.

Thank you Professor O’Hallarn, for giving me the opportunity to be comfortable reaching out to professionals in the industry!